Hi S-H, Well, growing our own food is my main priority when I started planting with my kids. I started planting tomatoes and peppers indoors with the grow lights and stuff. We're mostly growing green leafy veggies and root crops nowadays. Being self sufficient is really great for my whole family. The kids are learning so much! Last May we also started a chicken coop. We're still learning how to properly use the manure as natural fertilizer but I know, eventually, we'll figure it out. And nothing beats the free fresh eggs every morning! LOL!
Welcome, Jelly! We have hens also here in central Texas. The manure is invaluable--high in nitrogen and depending on how many hens you have, an inexhaustible supply. Please do not put fresh hen manure on plants--the high nitrogen will burn and possibly kill the plants. We compost our "hen gifts" for at least three months, and preferably six months. Clean the coop regularly (we do it every three to four days), feed them premium laying feed as well as vegetable table scraps, stale bread, and left-over pasta (I suspect our Australorps are really Italian hens), and make sure they are protected from predators. In addition to giving great eggs and contributing to the compost pile, our hens are so entertaining!
